I wrote this earlier in the year about the subtle recession indicators present in pop culture over the past few years.

As we near the end of 2025, I've been reflecting on how the return of physical media is our big indicator for this year.

While initially perceived as more expensive, owning physical media (DVDs, CDs etc), results in the removal of an ongoing expense (streaming services) which eventually outstrips the buy-in cost of purchasing physical media.

It is now trendy to remove a monthly subscription expense—I’m here for it.